I was watching a video this week, promoting CrossFit (CrossFit is strength & conditioning fitness) and thought I would take our question of the week from this.

What is your fear, when it comes to your business?  Does fear stop you from achieving your goals? 

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What is the best piece of advice you have received as an entrepreneur?

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Today’s article is a quick tip and I want to focus on one recurring question that is coming up in the responses to the survey. This is about marketing your products and services to clients and how to have clients understand what you are saying.

So I’ve put together these quick tips to assist you:

1. Make sure you really understand your audience. If you don’t know what your prospects or clients need from you, ask questions. You can do this very simply by doing something like what I have done this week. Survey your clients, ask them what you want to know and try and find out what they need from you. I’ve used a tool called Survey Monkey to help me understand more about you! It's easy to use and the information you receive is valuable in relation to how you can better support your clients.

2. Make sure you have the right offer in place. Once you know more about what your clients want from you, then you can make them an offer that speaks directly to their needs and wants. An offer that will allievate any issues or challenges they may facing

3. Ask yourself, “What is the outcome I want from this offer, from this newsletter, from this……?”. Make sure you understand how your audience wants to be spoken to. Than, be very clear on the messages you are sending out. Track and test your messages, and see which ones are having the greatest impact.

Remember, clarity in the understanding of your clients, in your offer, and in your message will support the continual growth of your business. If you're not sure where to start, don't stand there waiting, organise a Just-in-Time call with me, so that together we can get you moving in the right direction. Tweet

If you could have support for 90 days to grow your business, what area/s would you focus on?

Would love to know what you think......Please take a moment to share your thoughts.

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Do you see yourself as an Entrepreneur or a Business Owner?  Do you see a difference? 

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“I’m not sure where to start.” “What is it that I need to do?” “How can I get going and take my business to the next level?” These are a few of the emails that have been coming in since I spoke at the two events (St George/Sutherland BEC Sales & Marketing Forum & Sydney Women’s Network) last week. There’s a common theme running through the emails, as there was when I was speaking one on one with people after the events. The theme being: most people want to get running, but don’t know where they need to start. So....what's the first step to take?

Well, starting at the beginning is always good. But asking "What is it that I need to do?", is not what I have found to be the best starting point that guarantees you business success. I have found that identifying the core purpose and intention of your business is the very best way to start. This realisation should be your key starting point for all your business outcomes, which will ensure you build such a strong business that it attracts exactly the type of clients you want. By default, this will boost your bottom line - producing the financial results you desire, while maximising your use of time and resources.

Let me show you what I mean.

Ask yourself the following questions:

· How committed are you to growing your business?
· Is this something you really want or is it something that you think you want?
· What does a successful business look like to you?
· What is the reason you began your business? and,
· Could you clearly articulate this, if I was to ask you?

I’ve shared with you that the reason that I started my business was initially because I had a need and desire for freedom. Freedom allowed me to work how I wanted to work, when I wanted to work, and with whom I wanted to work with. As time progressed and things changed within my life, more needs evolved, which kept me focused on continuing to be successful in business. This need is to be a strong role model for my daughters, and to show them that they can do anything that they put their minds to.

If you are clear on why you're in business, then you will make sure you take steps that drive your business positively in the direction of success.

To assist you in achieving this success, let’s look at three of my very simple yet effective strategies to move your business forward:

- Commit to making your business a success. Let’s face it - business at the end of the day is about making money. How many hours do you work diligently to grow and build your business? I’m here to tell you that it takes work and commitment to really grow a business; there is no easy option here. So how much time and effort are you willing to commit to your business success? Decide on what this looks like, stay focused and don’t get distracted. Think about it, if you were working for someone else, would you step out to do your grocery shopping in the middle of the morning?

- Be clear on your Business Development Days (BDD). These are the days, where you work ON your business. Know exactly what day/s of the week you are dedicating to be BDD. Be clear on your outcomes, know what you want to achieve and how you are going to achieve them. Do you know what activities you need to include in these days? If you have been doing the same thing and nothing different is happening, now is the time to look at what you need to change, and plan how to do it.

- If you’re still not sure what to do….give yourself a kick-start and work with a mentor. Investing in my mentors has been the best money I have spent on myself and for my business. Not only am I constantly learning, I’ve committed myself to being strategic about how I work to develop my business further. When I get stuck in a place of: “What do I do next?”, I ask the question, work through this with my mentor, and then roll up my sleeves to achieve what is next for me.

So, let’s commit to stop standing still. Write down what you want from your business and then look at what and who you need to help you achieve it. Take a stand and make a difference. Tweet